I'm not sure which aspect I'm more excited about! They are both so exciting, and I think it's so cool that both milestones were reached on the same weekend.
Goal: $5,000.00
Achieved: $5,355.00
First of all, I must once again extend my heartfelt "thank you" to all of my friends and family who have sponsored me so far this year. Together we have raised $5,355.00 so far!!! My goal this year was $5,000, and I'm so thrilled that we have surpassed it already. Even better, I woke up Saturday morning at 5:15am (as I was getting ready to head out for our big 40-mile training walk weekend) to an email letting me know that we had reached (and surpassed) $5,000. It was a wonderful thing to wake up to, and helped me feel even more motivated to walk 20-miles on Saturday!!
And it just kept getting better! As I checked my emails throughout the next two days, I received a few more donations while I was out on our 20-mile/day training walks. Those additional donations gave me the extra motivation to keep going and even put a little more spring in my step. :)
This year's San Francisco 3Day for the Cure is September 9th through 11th. That means I still have just over 4 more weeks to train and fund-raise. Let's see how far we can go!
On to training news:
This weekend was the Warming Hut Hotties annual Back to Back Weekend! It's the pinnacle of our training walk season where we walk 20miles each on Saturday and Sunday to prepare us for the 3Day. After this weekend, the training gradually decreases so that we'll be prepared, but not exhausted by the time the actual event comes along. This team has been doing these training walks for 9 years now, and they've got such a great system!
The first day we did two loops of 10-miles each. The routes were planned so that some people could choose to walk either 10, 15, 18 or 20 miles for the day. A LARGE group of about 45 people met at the Warming Hut at 6:30am and we took off for our first loop at 6:45.
Saturday's first 10-mile loop
Linda reciting the safety speech in front of 45 walkers
Our walk went through the Presidio, down the Batteries to Bluffs Trail (this week, we went DOWN. Last week, we climbed UP!), through the Richmond, into Golden Gate Park, then looped back into another part of the Richmond and the Presidio.
Looking down on the Batteries to Bluffs Trail that we had just completed
Considering we had so many people, we made it back from our first loop, and back to the Warming Hut on time at 10:30am where we had a quick lunch.
Saturday was Hottie Tanzeem's Birthday, and she was surprised with cupcakes, flowers, cards and other goodies!
Happy Birthday, Tanzeem!
Tanzeem's Birthday Spread!
We ate lunch (and cupcakes!) and headed out for our second 10-mile loop at 11:10pm.
Saturday's second 10-mile loop
This loop went down Crissy Field, through the Presidio, into the Richmond, down towards Ocean Beach, UP the Land's End Trail, to Baker Beach, UP Lincoln Blvd, underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, and back to the Warming Hut.
Here's part of a group shot taken from Land's End Trail (the nice person who offered to take the photo didn't seem to be able to sqeeze everyone into the frame)
up, Up, UP the stairs on Land's End Trail
We finished the second loop (for a total of 20 for the day) around 3:00.
Which means.... go home, take a bath, ice your feet, take Advil, have a good dinner, drink lots of water, and go to bed early, because..... There's still another 20-miles to walk on Sunday!
Sunday's 20-Mile Walk
Sunday's 20-Mile was was EPIC. I said it last year, and I'll say it again! We walked from Fort Mason in SF, down to Crissy Field, across the Golden Gate Bridge, down to Sausalito, through Marin, all the way to Tiburon!! We ate a quick lunch, then everyone boarded the 2:55 Ferry back to Pier 41. We walked back through (a very crowded) Fisherman's Wharf for another 1.5 miles back to Fort Mason.
There were many factors that made Sunday's walk absolutely delightful.
Props, LOVE and Hugs to Alycia and Linda E (and their Husbands, Robin and Phil) for meeting us at Fort Mason at 6:30am and providing us with route support throughout the entire day. Not only did they provide their cars along the route (so a walker could hitch a ride in case of injury or fatigue) but they also provided us with homemade baked goods, delicious fruits, water, and many other goodies to keep us hydrated and well fed along the way. They even had warm focaccia bread that they baked early that morning so we could nibble on it at it's freshest! And if this all wasn't enough they brought cheering signs and wore pink boas to cheer us on all day long. I love these women. They both walked with us last year, and are taking this year off. I hope they'll both join us again next year!
The utterly fantastic Alycia and Linda - Route Support Extraordinaire!
Any time we have walked across the Bridge early in the morning has always been a great experience, and this one was no different. We crossed around 7:15am, so the sun had only recently risen, and the traffic and bike riders was minimal. It was cold and foggy, though, which I supposed helped us walk briskly to the other side. :)
cold and foggy Golden Gate Bridge at 7:15am
After we crossed the bridge (and after a pit stop at the Lookout Point) we walked down, around, and under the Golden Gate Bridge.
The underside of the Golden Gate Bridge - a view many people will never see
We walked through Sausalito to our approx half-way "lunch" break at the Mollie Stones in Sausalito. Linda and Alycia amazed us again with the amazing spread they laid out for us on the tables for us!!
Route Support Goodies by Alycia and Linda E
After lunch, we walked along the long, multi-use path. There were far fewer (rude) bikers this time (although we still managed to encounter a few) which was a relief. Also the weather was just perfect! Usually the Marin part of this walk is sunny and hot, but we lucked out this year with overcast skies. I think it made the walk so much more enjoyable.
After many more miles, we eventually made our way to Tiburon where we all met at Sam's for a quick lunch. (my group barely made it in time to order quickie appetizers before having to head out to catch the ferry!)
The Ferry Ride from Tiburon back to SF (via Angel Island) was a ton of fun. I think we were all tired, and a little bit delirious from the long walking we had just completed, and that resulted in LOTS of fun, laughter and pictures!!
Carol and Trina on the Ferry!
Hotties sitting outside on the Ferry
Me and Lizelle, who is propping up her poor (un-blistered!) tired feet!
Can you name the Hottie by their shoe?
After the Ferry brought us back to San Francisco, we walked from Pier 41 back to our cars at Fort Mason. We returned around 4:00pm.
Sandra's GPS showed us at 20.07 miles for the day!
Another walker brought their pedometer, which came in at 48,968 steps for the day!
So, that's the end of the epic-length blog post for an epic weekend of walking and fundraising! As I think about the long walks that we did both days, what strikes me is that what I remember most about them is not the long miles, tired feet or sore legs. Honestly, what I remember are the amazing people I walk with, the conversations we have, and most especially, the hearty laughs. I'm so lucky to be a part of this extraordinary group. Their dedication, spirit, drive and fun personalities kept me going all weekend long - one step at a time.
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